Holders for bibs and the like



Aug. 1960 J. H. M CARTHY HOLDERS FOR BIBS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 11. 1957 INVENTOR. JST/N H (Aery HOLDERS FOR BIBS AND THE LIKE Justin H. McCarthy, 205 12th Ave., San Francisco, Calif.

Filed Jan. 11, 1957, Ser. No. 633,663

6 Claims. (Cl. 24-9) This invention relates to a holder for bibs and the like.

In the past, bibs or napkins were tightened around the neck or a baby by a string or other line fastened or secured in the edge around the neck so as to hold the napkin or bib in place. Some attempts have been made in the past for providing clamps whereby such bibs could be held in position around the neck, but such attempts involved complicated structures and mechanical moving elements which presented danger or pinching or hurting the neck. a

The primary object of my invention is to provide a simple one-piece structure which can be bent into the form of a neck ring and thereby firmly hold a bib in position without any springs, hinges or clamping mecha- A further object of the invention is to provide a simple, preferably tubular flexible holder adapted to be flexed in the form of a neck ring, the ends of which have means thereon to be secured together, preferably frictionally,

to maintain the shape of a neck ring, and a split middle portion which forms a slit for receiving a corner or flap holder is bent into a ring so as to hold a bib or napkin in place but obviate the use of secured rings or pivoted or other mechanical parts.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof without departing from the scope of. the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a developed view showing a disposable napkin and the neck ring in disassembled position.

Fig. 2 shows the tubular neck ring in straightened position where its clamping loop is open.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental view showing the insertion of the disposable bib or napkin into the loop of the clamp of the holder.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental view showing the folded arrange ment of the flap of the bib or napkin after the flap has been turned around and over the outside of the clamping portion or loop of the ring.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental sectional view of the clamping portion taken on the lines 5-5 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the neck ring and bib in use.

The elements of the invention include a flexible tube 1 which is adapted to be formed into a neck ring and 2,948,035 Patented Aug. 9, 1960 which is secured in closed ring position by any suitable securing means. In the herein illustration a plug 2 extends from one end and is so dimensioned that it is pressed into hollow end 3 of the tube 1 so as to frictionally hold the ring in its closed position.

A bib or napkin or the like 4 has a flap 5 formed at the end thereof by converging edges 6 which terminate in a flat apex 7 to be secured to the ring 1.. It is preferable that the bib or napkin be made of some disposable material such as paper which should be also preferably waterproof as needed in some instances.

The flap 5 of the napkin or bib 4 is secured to the middle of the flexible tube 1 by the use of a loop 8. As shown particularly in Fig. 5, the middle portion of the flexible tube 1 has a pair of spaced generally radial or inclined slits 9 of a proportional length approximately as shown in'Fig. 1 to accommodate a substantial portion of the flap 5. The two opposed slits 9 are on the opposite sides and below the center plane of the flexible tube 1. The clamping loop 8 thus formed is a strip of the flexible wall material of the tube the ends of which are tube body. Then the end of the flap 5 is inserted as shown in Fig. 3, and asthe flexible tube is permitted to return to its initial arcuate position as shown in Fig. 1,

the strap or loop is pulled back tightly into its closed position clamping the flap 5 firmly in place. By reason of the inclined generally radial walls of the slits 9 becomes even firmer.

It is preferable that the flap 5 be wound around the middle portion of the tube and over the clamping loop 8 so that any further pull on the bib tightens the grip on the flap 5.

Thereatfer the tube is formed into a band or ring around the neck of the wearer by securing of the ends of the tube together as heretofore described. The bending of tube into a ring pulls the slits together still tighter and thus the grip on the flap 5 of the bib or napkin 4 becomes tighter in the applied position in use.

It is preferable that this tube be made of somewhat resilient suitable plastic material so that it may resume its open arcuate position shown in Fig. 1 when opened. When made of such material, then the clamping loop 8 can be pulled with greater firmness when the slits 9 are closed and the flexing of the material and of the tube 1 around the neck of the wearer is also facilitated.

The device is very simple in construction, it has very few elements but it solves the problem of clamping without extra parts, springs, or mechanisms and devices, and results in a unitary structure which is eminently adapted for its purpose.

I claim:

1. A holder for a sheet of the character described, comprising a tube bent into a generally arcuate form, a longitudinal strip being severed from a curved portion of the outer periphery of said tube, the ends of said severed portion being united with the wall of the tube so that said strip complements the outer curve of said tube, said ends causing said stri-p portion to bulge outwardly when the tube is straightened to permit the insertion and clamping of said sheet between said strip portion and the adjacent walls of the tube, and releasable means to secure the opposite ends of said tube together to hold the tube in circular form.

2. A' holder for a sheet of the character described, comprising a tube bent into a generally arcuate form, a longitudinal strip being severed from a curved portion of the outer periphery of said tube, the ends of said severed portion being united with the Wall of the tube sothat said strip complements the outer'curve of said tube, said, ends causing said strip portion to bulge outwardly when the tube is straightened to permit the insertion and clamping of said sheet between said strip portion and the adjacent walls. of. the tube,; and. releasable means: to secure the opposite ends; offsaid tube together to hold the tube in circular form, thesaid-.last'meansim eluding a plug extended from one endofthe tube and tightly fitting into the other end'of'the. tube for fric- .tional engagement therewith.

3. A holder for a sheet ofthe character described, comprising a flexible tube bent into a generally arcuate form, a separable strip portion onthe outer periphery of said tube having its. ends permanently fixed on the tube so that said strip normally complements the outer curve of said tube, said ends being moved toward one another whenthe tube is straightened to cause said strip. to bulge outwardly .to permit. the insertion and clamping of said sheet between said strip and the. adjacent portion of the tube, and'said endsbeingurgedapart when said tube is bent intoa circular form. so as to tightly press said strip portion against the adjacent. tube portion, outside peripheral wall portionof'the tube between generally parallel slits separating less than half of the tube cross sectional diameter adapted to bulge away fromthe body of the tube when. the tube. is, straightened.

4. A holder for a sheet of .the character described comprising an, initially partially arcuate flexible tube, an outer peripheral portion of the tube wall being partially severed by longitudinal slits, said portion being shorter than the half of the length of the tube so as. t'o-form an arcuate strip adapted to bulge away when the partially arcuate tube is straightened so as to. receive therebetween the said flap and to clamp said flap when the said tube resumes said partially arcuate position, the said flap extending sufliciently to permit the wrapping of the flap around and over the said strip and adjacent portion of the tube, and means to hold the ends of the tube together in a complete ring-like position.

5. A holder for a sheet of the character described comprising a resilient flexible tube initially partially arcuate, a strip complementing a portion of the outer convex periphery of said'tube and being formed from the wall of the tube by a longitudinal slit along each edge of said strip so that as the tube is straightened the strip is bulged away to enlarge said slits and when the tube is formed into a ring to tighten said strip over said sheet.

6. A holder for a sheet of the character described comprising a resilient flexible tube initially partially arcuate, a strip complementing aportion of the outer convex periphery of saidtube andbeing formed from the wall of the tube by a longitudinal slit along each edge of said strip so that as the tube is straightened the strip is bulged away to enlarge said slits and when the tube is formed into a ring to tighten said strip over said sheet, the width of said stripbeing less than the outer half of the cross-section of said tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 383,847 Baker June 5, 1888 434,857 Adamson Aug. 19, 1890 703,864 Walker July 1, 1902 921,6 Frick May 18, 1909 2,709,812 Kanzow June 7, 1955 

